The Honeyville Quilt Auction (42 Photos)
2017 UPDATE: This year’s two editions of the Honeyville Quilt Auction will be held Saturday, April 8, and Saturday, September 16.
The first Honeyville Quilt Auction of 2014 takes place tomorrow (Saturday April 12th) in the Elkhart-Lagrange, Indiana Amish settlement.
We usually post auction photos taken during the event. Today is a little different, with a pile of pre-auction pictures showing all the neat things up for sale tomorrow.
We also have a few words from auction host Ben Borntreger.
Ben writes:
Greetings from above. My name is Ben Borntreger and was married to Wilma (Hochstetler) on March 30, 1978. I was born in Iowa, and lived in Missouri, Wisconsin, and Michigan before moving to Indiana in 1979. We have a family of 9 daughters and 2 boys. We still have 4 living at home. We have 13 grandchildren. I have farmed, worked in RV factories and installed cabinets. I also give sleigh rides and carriage rides.
Back in the late 1990s I helped at Yoder’s Quilt Auction in Clare, Michigan and enjoyed it, so we decided to start a quilt auction here. We had our first auction in the fall of 1999 and have been having them ever since. Â We have them semi-annually.
In the Spring it’s always the 2nd Saturday in April and in the Fall it’s the 3rd Saturday in September. We usually have around 200 to 250 big quilts, plus wall hangings, crafts, and rugs. This is a family affair. On the day of the auction the children and grandchildren help and we have a lot of fun.
If you’d like to attend the Borntreger family’s auction tomorrow or in September, here’s the address:
Ben Borntreger
4110 S. 1000 W.
Millersburg, IN 46543
(260) 593-2640
The auction begins at 9 AM, with items available for preview the day before.
Honeyville Quilt Auction Photos
Next, a sneak peek of tomorrow’s auction items and facilities, thanks to our contributor ShipshewanaIndiana (who also shares a few comments below).
 100+ year old Amish quilt blocks used in a wall hanging.
Antique Amish quilts.
Locally made bird houses to hang on your porch. Â They look like hats!
Doll sized Mini hickory rocker made by a local Amishman, Â it’s a work of art!
Bottom of small rocker. Â Hand signed by Cletus Otto.
Table full of purses, wall hangings and other small sewn items.
Hand bags from one consigner.
Next 3 shots are wall hangings made from 100+ year old quilt blocks.
Wow!
Thanks so much for taking these photos, ShipshewanaIndiana. We were just down in Shipshe last week and wondered what auctions were coming up. People’s Exchange noted a number of them, but I was guessing there were others out there, too. This one looks great. I assume it is just a regular auction and not a benefit auction, correct?
Great pics! Makes us want to drive down there again tomorrow (we live in the Ann Arbor, MI area).
Emily
Emily yes I believe this is just a personal business. Amish do a lot of benefits but not all of them are. Looks like a lot of work, but twice a year sounds manageable. They also do buggy rides and sleigh rides in season.
Benefit vs. Business
Thanks for the info, Erik!
Great photos
Looks like a well oiled machine is about to kickoff tomorrow. Hope they have a great time and a great sale. I’ll have to take my wife to one of these sales someday soon.
Those pictures made me wish I could attend 🙂
Loved all the photo’s. Thanks for sharing. Wish I lived close enough to come to this.
Wish I could attend too… some of them look really awesome! thanks for sharing!
It's just as well...
Yes, it’s just as well I read this posting the day AFTER the event! I am SALIVATING at the quilts, and probably moreso at the wall hangings made with 100+ year-old quilt blocks.
I sure hope I can make it there someday, although the only auction I ever bought anything at was a silent auction. I’ll have to do some studying up and practice my “technique”.
Sure wish I could’ve gone…!
Did you attend and purchase anything, ShipshewanaIndiana? (Just curious.)
Alice Mary
Thanks for asking Alice Mary. We had planned to go but by the time we had our Saturday To-Do list done it was afternoon. We have plenty of rugs and quilts from prior sales. It’s a great place to pick up a quilt. It’s not uncommon to buy one for less than the materials would cost at the fabric store. It was nice to visit before the auction and take pictures, Ben was very gracious to allow us access.
I was there and it was a very good auction. Prices were still low on most of the quilts ($275 -$350) but there were a few that went for $425 – $800 with the top seller going for $1,000. Beautiful work on them (I couldn’t do it!) Ben does a good job of organizing his sale.
Thanks for the report Marilyn. We always like hearing follow-up from folks who attend these events or visit Amish businesses. By the photos it looked like it would be a well-run event.
Wish I could be there-
Thank you for posting these. I noticed many of the quilts seemed to have a more “modern” look to them- like the black and white graphic quilt or the traditional patterns made in bright neon colors.
Geometric Amish quilt designs
Katrina along those lines the one that stood out to me was the one about 12 or 14 down, the black-and-white one where I believe Ben is holding the picture of the design–reminds me of 1980s video game graphics 🙂
If you’re interested in this sort of thing Janneken Smucker’s book delves into the evolutions of the Amish quilt over the years. https://amishamerica.com/amish-quilts-janneken-smucker/
2012 honeyville auction
In 2012 my husband and I travelled to Shipshewana for the Honeyville quilt Auction from Australia. What a great day! We attended the Friday viewing and was told one quilt would cost $350-500. We walked away with three for $550. Happy beyond words, in total we spent $1000. It is an experience I will remember forever. Ben made us feel very welcome and seeing his family in action was, awe inspiring.
Big house on the little
Looking for that wonderful B&B across the road from you—cannot locate them via Internet. Are they still in operation? If not do you have any other good suggestions?? Thank-you, Barbara E Blostica RN MSN 708 403 4023